Remote Project Management: Don’t Let Up on Training

In a work-from-home world, the need for training can sometimes take a back seat to other matters that seem more pressing. But project managers (PMs) and their teams must continually maintain awareness about longer-term issues, and ongoing education is one of those critical elements that can make or break your organization’s overall project management strategy.

PMAlliance has long recognized the need to deliver training resources remotely. Our Duration-Driven Fundamentals online learning course has enabled numerous organizations to sustain a rigorous training program even as their project teams evolve, grow, and expand to include professionals located in regions outside the company’s local footprint. And right now, PMAlliance is offering this course for FREE.

Rather than take away from your team’s ability to execute projects when they’re out of the office—whether you routinely leverage project professionals across the country or your local onsite employees are currently working under stay-at-home orders—a continued focus on your training program delivers tremendous value by expanding the knowledge and skills your group has available to successfully plan and execute projects.

The current widescale shift to remote work provides some good online education opportunities. To keep their teams moving forward during this time, PMs and team members should consider the benefits of making targeted project management training solutions available as part of their ongoing education programs.

Take advantage of downtime. In the transition to work-from-home arrangements, many project teams are finding the pace of tasks has become unsettled and their workloads are less predictable. News of changes to current initiatives tends to come down from the C-suite in batches, leading to a frantic rush of activity followed by some gaps where there are fewer urgent tasks that need attention. Project team members can leverage these openings in their calendar by using them to gain new expertise and skills.

Fill knowledge gaps. As team members move on to new opportunities or if your organization has reduced its workforce in response to the pandemic’s business impacts, you may lack key project expertise. Some teams are also having difficulty finding external contractors to provide niche services right now, leaving businesses with fewer resources than ever. Remote training gives you a way to address those gaps internally and ensure your team’s knowledge base remains consistent and well-rounded, even as your group’s membership changes and its size or structure evolves.

Be ready for what’s next. It’s still unclear what the recovery period will look like and timing could possibly be staggered across various regions, but project teams will surely be on the front lines when it comes to helping their organizations restore operations toward more normal levels. By continuing to promote a strong training program, PMs can position their group with the expertise and competencies to tackle the kind of complex, high-risk, and high-impact projects that will likely be part of the recovery process.

Maintain morale during a difficult time. You’ve probably already noticed some of your team members stepping up to help the group make a successful transition to remote work. That willingness to go the extra mile can turn into burnout and frustration if you don’t take action to reward their efforts and show everyone that you’re in this as a team. Offering employees additional training demonstrates that you value their contributions to the company and that their ongoing support is important to success.

A number of remote training options exist, so take the time to evaluate the offerings against your team’s needs before adding them to your program.

PMAlliance’s online learning system is designed to enable efficient and effective remote training in the practical management techniques that set PMAlliance’s Duration-Driven methodology apart. We teach participants the fundamentals of our approach through this six-lesson course. The instruction includes segments on recognizing project challenges, developing initial project plans, compressing project plans to meet evolving deadline dates, and the application of real-time progress data as part of the project plan update process. We also provide coursework to help students learn the elements of workable project charters, how to better estimate task durations and resource requirements, and techniques to more effectively control projects through to completion. To enable participants to further build on the most fundamental project management skills, our online course includes videos for additional context and case studies to illustrate real-world application of the concepts taught throughout the class. Short quizzes are used to reinforce students’ understanding of each topic.

As a PMI-approved Registered Education Provider (REP), PMAlliance brings years of hands-on, real-world instruction to your team’s remote training experience. In addition, your staff doesn’t need to worry about letting their training standards lapse during this transitionary period when many other educational organizations are on hiatus or still building their curriculums. With PMAlliance’s Duration-Driven Planning and Control course, your team members can continue to receive PDUs to maintain their credentials.